Who should attend: Family lawyers who are in, or want to transition to, collaborative practice; mental health professionals and financial specialists working in a collaborative team.

Learning level: All levels

Collaborative family law provides a refreshing approach to practicing family law—an approach that lawyers have been longing for and that clients are embracing. Clients want to resolve disputes without resorting to court imposed orders, and they are looking to their lawyers to help them out.

A large majority of family cases settle without going to court. Collaborative practice gives lawyers and their clients a resolution-focused process. The skilled collaborative lawyer is able to assess the client’s situation to determine who is right for collaborative separation and divorce, and then guide the client through the process. The client’s legal and emotional situation is addressed using lawyers and mental health professionals who work together cooperatively. The key to the success of this model is that the lawyers and clients agree that they are working toward a resolution of the issues without resorting to court. In fact, the collaborative agreement between lawyer and client specifies that should the clients decide to go to court, they will have to seek other legal representation. This shifts both the lawyer and client away from the traditional adversarial perspective and fosters an atmosphere of open communication and collaborative problem solving. The result is a process with which both lawyers and clients are much more satisfied.

The Vancouver Collaborative Law Group has lawyers, financial specialists, and mental health professionals as members. In this context, the three professional groups have established ongoing working relationships and have worked hard to understand the different approaches that each group takes toward working with families going through separation and divorce. Through this they have learned how to build a successful multi-disciplinary team. In this course, experienced faculty will assist you to understand the important dynamic created by the multi-disciplinary approach and teach you how to create a multi-disciplinary team.

Do you have this valuable resource?Previously published by CLEBC, the book Collaborative Practice: Deepening the Dialogue is now available by contacting the author, Nancy J. Cameron at nancy-cameron@nancy-cameron.com.

Registration includes course materials and lunch on both days. These materials are not available for purchase separately. Note: You will continue to receive a print copy of the materials at the course. In addition, you will receive an email with a link to the online version of the materials approximately one day before the course.